


Twilight of andromeda

by Cherry_Blossomtea



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Blood and Gore, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Gay Male Character, Injury Recovery, Lesbian Character, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Near Death Experiences, Overprotective, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Siblings, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29908836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherry_Blossomtea/pseuds/Cherry_Blossomtea
Summary: The human pathfinder is the hope and savior of the Andromeda initiative. They put her on a pedestal and worship her for the dauntless personality and drive to save them. Jaal sees through the shield he sees through it. In reality, She's just an older sister trying to protect her brother.
Relationships: Evfra de Tershaav/Male Ryder | Scott, Jaal Ama Darav/Female Ryder | Sara, Male Ryder | Scott/Reyes Vidal
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

It was easy to tell if Ryder was having trouble sleeping: she would bury herself in work. Everyone on the temptest could say they found the pathfinder passed out in a weird area.   
He turned over, expecting to feel the warmth of Ryder but felt the empty sheets beside him.

She was in the research lab, looking at the flophouse Misery on the research table. Jaal watched as she paced in a narrow arch around the table, with her eyes glued to the tablet in her hand. 

The only sound was the hum of the Tempest internal machinery. He watches her make two more trips in the same narrow arch before putting her tablet on the research table. She grabs an initiative branded mug. Looking at the sour expression on her face, he could tell the coffee was lukewarm and didn't have enough sugar for her liking. 

Elodie stifles a yawn rubbing her eyes. She leans against the table; her eyes glance at Jaal. She almost jumps, notching the Angara standing before her. She drags her hand across her. A quick string of curses escapes her mouth.   
"how long have~" her words trail of into a string of mumbles.  
"Long enough to see you tired, Lexi will yell at you for not sleeping or pretending to get sleep," he responds.   
The thought of having Lexi yell at her sent a slight chill down her back. Sleep did sound good right about now. 

  
He woke up feeling her slow breaths against his back. With her arms slightly wrapped around him. Jaal carefully turned over. She even had a little trail of drool going down her chin. He brushes a piece of black hair from her face. He closes his eyes hoping, to get a few extra minutes of sleep before starting his day. 

His dream was still fresh on his mind; it picked up where he left off. With him diving into Electric ferrofluid, the remnant used to power themselves. He managed to grab Ryder. Dark spots danced across his vision the surface grew closer. He could make out Peebee attempting to reach for him. Once he broke the surface, he tosses Elodie onto the ground before climbing out himself a prickling sensation spread across his body. Elodie's armor showed signs of punctures, and the chest pieces badly eroded. Cora was saying something but, he couldn't make it out. Their voices muffled to his ears. He didn't care; he needed help removing the severely eroded amour. 

  
Elodie opens her eyes slowly; Jaal was having a nightmare. She pressed a soft kiss to his neck. His eyes flutter open, and his hand moves to cup her face in a needy manner. He touches his head against hers, feeling her skin under his fingers. They embrace each other, desperately trying to hold the other in their arms.  
Jaal knew kissing her neck was the sweet way to unravel her. She melted in his embrace; he could feel the pulsing of her heart beneath him as it sped up. He moved his kisses to her lips. 

* * *

The seashells were a garland of pink and blue hues; they glowed like freshly opened eyes. He stood holding them in his palms, in vivid detail. He remembers picking them up and running to Ellen, a bright smile on his face. Meanwhile, Alec was trying to grab his daughter Elodie, who had set her mind on eating a fish raw from the ocean. He could see the familiar red-black and white ship lowering itself into a designated spot on New Tuchanka. He wanted to step outside and greet his twin but, the heat of elaaden and the voice in the back of his head told him no. 

It didn't take long for the nomad with its Migrant Spirit paint job. He noticed her fully armored body walking down the ramp wearing her helmet. Drack was beside her. Cora climbing out of the nomad, she handed Elodie something. 

  
"Pathfinder Ryder, she's early." Kariste Archana. The mayor of the outpost came up behind him. She had a simple datapad in her hands. He glanced at the tablet and read the title. "Kleodora" 

"You must be the pathfinder's sibling?" Nakmor Morda asks, walking into the building. 

"Overlord Morda. I am," he said, with a slight look of defeat.   
She had a slight look on her face, mumbling about one Ryder sibling having manners to higher powers. On cue, Elodie Ryder showed up. Cora was glad. She managed to convince the pathfinder to leave most of her weapons in the nomad. Morda greeted Drack in a tense nod. 

  
Elodie's project involved turning the flophouse into a Botany/ geologic research outpost called Kleodora. She was also hoping Vorn would step up to be the mayor. Once she aired the pros of Kleodora, she inhaled sharply.   
"The cons exiles trying to take it back, relocating what they stole and the supplies to remodel it." She explained its original purpose of being used for a mining outpost.

It took a while but, Morda agreed to the extra outpost on one condition. She wanted the nexus to provide the resources to start it. Once Morda left, Elodie sighed rubbing, her neck while mumbling. One task is solved and, another arises. She quickly straightens up and flashes a quick smile at Scott. She asks why he's still on elaaden; his response is to the point.  
"I have clearance to be here," he responds.

She realizes nothing would convince him to return to the nexus. Just like that, she leaves. He watches her climb into the ND1 nomad from the wall window.  
It pulls off quickly, becoming a speck on the horizon. Scott dismisses himself from the office, returning to his room. 

He takes the seashells from his pockets and places them on his nightstand. Scott lays them in front of a rare Ryder family photo. All of them were smiling; Ellen seemed small standing with them. Despite being shorter than her kids, she still made sure to call them and keep them in check. He sat on his bed and grabbed the photo. Scott wasn't close to Alec like Elodie was, but he was a mama's boy. He knew people referred to him as Alec's frail son, born with a weak heart. He was unsure why Elodie saw him as this little butterfly that needs to be protected. Looking at the photo, Elodie resembled Ellen more. They shared the same skin tone along with eye color.

Scott was Alec's carbon copy. The only way to tell the difference was Scott had a sea-themed tattoo sleeve. There was no way he could step out of Elodie's shadow.   
The main reason he didn't visit the Nexus was the commoners asking for her for an autograph. He once made a scene when a reporter asked for his sister but had to go through him. 

The only places where he could escape his sister's shadow were Kadara and Elaaden. Thinking of Kadara, he had more freedom on the planet; the last name he shared with the pathfinder didn't mean anything. 


	2. Chapter 2

The ND1 nomad came to a halt just outside the flophouse. Ryder was the first to climb out; her visor didn't take long to adjust to the gleaming sun. Drack looked around before commenting.

"it smells like cheap booze," he mumbles. Cora shrugs before heading into a shaded area. Ryder looks up from her omni-tool   
"SAM, can you send a forward station to my location." 

"you ain't wrong, " She mumbles, re-opening her omni tool. The forward station took a schematic scan of the area. 

"I'm unable to scan a building. Also, multiple lifeforms are inside, exercise caution," SAM says 

She closes her omni-tool pulling her Sidewinder from its holster. Cora took her regular fighting stance. 

"SAM, can you unlock this door?"

It took a while, but the red ring turned green when she went to open it. The doors relocked. She grumbled, waving her hands in front of the lock for a second time. This time it unlocked. She froze for some reason unable, to move her limbs until a hail storm of gunfire followed. Ryder watched her shields drained in a blink before being snatched by Cora.

Elodie switched her weapons grabbing, her soned weapon. Once it charged. Elodie stepped into the entryway and released her plasma fire into the room. Drack unleased his blood rage and rushed inside. Rather than wait for the soned to begin its reload cycle, Cora watched as the pathfinder tossed it on her back and used a biotic charge. The first scavenger she hit froze on the spot. Drack followed the attack with a swing from his krogan hammer. A few scavenges managed to evade Drack & Elodie during their barrage attacks and were dispatched by Cora. 

"Area clear." Cora declares while reholstering her weapon. 

"Can you scan the area?" she asks. 

"Initiating scanning of the area." SAM went silent for a while before alerting them. "I'm sensing unpredictable explosives in your vicinity."

  
"SAM, can you locate them?" She questions  
"No, I advise caution while searching." He responds

She mutters under her breath, putting away her cryo-gauntlet. 

"found something," Drack called. He had broken open a crate and was peering inside. Cora and Ryder shared a look before walking towards him. Inside the cate was a remnant knock-off. It had the familiar blue look to it but had wires from initiative machines.   
It started beeping; 

"skkut," Ryder mutters before they all dash for the door.

"Sound off," Cora called out as the smoke cleared.   
Drack chuckled "now that's a bomb." 

They waited for Ryder to sound off. When she didn't sound off, Cora called for the Tempest.   
"Lexi. Ryder's injured were still looking for her." 

* * *

  
The blackness engulfed him. It stretched for miles around him. "Ryder, Peebee!" his voice did not affect. That's when the tingling sensation started in his fingers before spreading across his body. He noticed the limp body floating above him; the body had blue veins stretching across its neck and arms. The helmet came off with ease; black hair with white tips pooled around its shoulders. The body belonged to Ryder; her eyes rolled into her head.   
  
He woke up on the verge of screaming. Jaal looks around and jumps a bit when Elodie's space hamster squeaks.

Jaal mutters Shelesh for a while; he leaves the pathfinder cabin with his email to Evfra blank. He grabbed a tube of nutrient paste and went inside the tech lab. When Sahuna called for their daily chat, Jaal answered it with a heavy heart. Unable to keep up with Sahuna's questions about their relationship. He gave a weak chuckle, which she picked up on.

Unforetnly the call was cut short. Over the coms, Cora told them what happened with the bomb.

He got to the bridge fairly quickly; Kallo was already in the sky. He took them to the flophouse. The natural U shape of the rocks was gone. The backside of it was open to paradise sands. It was a straight shot from Languish to Paradise Sands. There was still smoke looming in the air. Jaal felt his stomach twist in knots as Kallo landed them near the explosion site. 

When he got to the cargo bay, Gill had a tow hook in his hands. 

"Can you attach this to the nomad?" he asks. 

Jaal takes it with no question and begins his descent down the ramp. He hooked it on the nomad's front with ease. 

"Lexi, we found the pathfinder." 

Jaal felt an invisible force lifted from his chest; he almost cries in joy until he sees the state of Ryder's body. He was unable to see her once they got the amour off, underneath the burned amour hard plates; her back was deep red with third-degree burns going down her back and legs. 

* * *

A few hours later

The whiskey was the amber that washed away all the ill memories of his past. Reyes smiles as his quarter doors slowly open. Walking in, he didn't hesitate to sit next to Reyes and take his whiskey and downing it with a single gulp.   
"Took you long enough to get here." he chuckles.

Scott shrugged, "my sister stopped by, but it doesn't matter."

"what was she doing?" he questions refilling his glass while making Scott his own.

"She has a little pet project going on a new outpost on that hell world." He responds taking the glass from Reyes. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ryder fact #1 The Ryder twins are highly lactose intolerance


End file.
